Boyoboy Takes on Autism Awareness Day

April 02, 2014

My mom calls me Boyoboy and this is my story.

I am 12 years old, and I am an Aspie. An Aspie is someone that has been diagnosed with Asperger’s Syndrome. Asperger’s is a condition (but my mom calls it a gift) that effects how your brain works. I guess that makes me different, but that doesn’t mean it’s a bad thing….only a different thing.

I don’t really notice or think about how I do things differently because it is all I have ever known and it seems normal to me. If I do think about it though, I can see how I am different. I don’t like lots of noises, especially loud noises. Some people would say that I think everything has to be perfect, but I don’t think that is true. I just like to do things efficiently. I also have A LOT of energy and sometimes have trouble sitting still. If I like something, I learn all I can about it. But, to me, these things don’t make a bad person. It simply means it is a different way of living.

You know how earlier I said Asperger’s affects the way your brain works? When I said that, (actually I wrote it….I am also very literal) I didn’t mean it affected your brain in a bad way. It actually did the opposite for me. I am not trying to brag, but I have always done very well academically and intellectually. I like to watch the National Geographic and History channels. I like to read a lot, especially non-fiction books. My mind works in amazing ways. I can usually look at something one time and remember it forever. I kind of agree with my mom. This really is a gift. I also like sharing interesting facts with people, even if they don’t want to hear them. I mean, I like to talk and visit with people, which is not a classic Aspie trait. But I am not annoying by any means. I just like sharing my interests with others.

I am in 6th grade and I have never made below an A on any of my report cards. I am not the only one with Autism who is smart. Some very well known and influential people are on the spectrum with me. Did you know Mozart, Albert Einstein, Bob Dylan, Bill Gates, Andy Warhol, and (my personal favorite) Temple Grandin all share this with me? It is also suspected that Michael Jackson, Andrew Jackson, Vincent van Gogh, Steven Spielberg and Thomas Jefferson fell somewhere on the spectrum. See, I am in some amazing company. And that just goes to show you that being on the spectrum isn’t bad. It’s just different. Imagine this world without these people. Plus, normal is boring. My favorite quote is from Dr. Seuss. It goes like this “Why fit in when you were born to stand out?”

I think it is great that we recognize autism during the month of April. It helps to promote awareness and will ultimately lead to more acceptance and education of the general population. However, autism is a part of me so it is with me every day of my life and not just in one month of the year. I hope that you have learned something here and that you will share some of that with someone that doesn’t know about autism. Together we can make this so well known and understood that everyone will know that being different is cool.

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